The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

In early spring, the chill of winter lingered, and the north wind was biting.

Inside the main house of the Marquis of Dongchang's residence, Shilan had just finished administering medicine to her parents and personally supervised them as they rested before stepping onto the path back to her room.

Despite spending a fortune and seeking out renowned doctors to treat the elderly couple, their health still did not improve.

Several doctors said it was caused by a mental illness.

Shilan guessed that the two elders must have seen the true colors beneath their eldest daughter's seemingly frail but obedient exterior, and were both disappointed and angry. Yet, because of their years of love and care, they couldn't bring themselves to stand idly by and ignore her.

Under such torment, how could one's body not deteriorate?

But no matter what, her plan to improve the health and prolong the lives of the two elderly people ultimately failed.

On the surface, Shilan was just as worried about her parents as her second brother, Qin Zhengyang. She personally took care of everything, from preparing medicine to tending to their illnesses. In the eyes of outsiders, she was a genuinely filial daughter.

But in private, they accelerated their efforts to make money with Wang Ruofu.

As for Qin Nanyan, she ultimately escaped a calamity.

The Gu family was deeply affected by Madam Gu and dared not pursue the truth. Although the two elders of the Qin family knew the truth, they dared not let them investigate further. Once Qin Nanyan's fake pregnancy to win favor and frame her mother-in-law were fully exposed, the Qin family would truly have no face to stand in Bianjing.

Both families harbored their own agendas, yet tacitly chose to downplay the incident. Apart from a very few individuals with exceptionally keen eyes and ears, no one knew what had actually happened between the two marquisates.

"Sister Shilan, you're back! How are Uncle and Aunt?"

When she returned to her courtyard, Wang Ruofu was already waiting inside. Upon seeing her enter, he immediately went up to her and asked with concern.

"I've taken my medicine and rested." Not wanting to dwell on family matters, Shilan changed the subject: "How's business lately? Have you encountered any rude people?"

Wang Ruofu quickly shook her head and said with a smile, "I followed my sister's instructions and told them to go out and wave the banner of the Marquis of Ningyuan's mansion. What fools would dare to do that?"

Shilan smiled, pursing her lips.

Qin Nanyan's marriage had caused her a lot of trouble, ruining her reputation both inside and outside the city. Naturally, she had to get some interest back. The reputation of the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion was much better than that of her own Dongchang Marquis's Mansion, and it was very useful outside Bianjing City. She used it with a clear conscience.

When business was mentioned, Wang Ruofu's face lit up with excitement.

"I was just about to tell you," Wang Ruofu said, pushing the account books forward like a treasure. "These past few days, more and more scholars have been heading to the capital for the imperial examinations. Our temporary inns, bookstores, and writing implement shops that we opened before the New Year are indeed doing booming business. Even after deducting costs, our profits have more than quadrupled!"

Shilan's mood brightened as she looked at her undisguised greed.

In Bianjing, a city rife with scheming and gloom, Wang Ruofu's straightforward love for money seems all the more pure and endearing.

She took the ledger and flipped through it briefly, then couldn't help but smile: "It is quite a lot, thank you for your hard work."

"Not at all, not at all!" Wang Ruofu's eyes sparkled. "As long as money is coming in, I'm full of energy!"

After the two finished tallying the accounts, they had their maids bring out freshly made tea, fruit, and snacks. While enjoying these, they looked through the various invitations that were being handed in from outside.

The weather will warm up in a few days, and there will be scientific expeditions this year. I wonder how many outstanding talents will emerge. Naturally, there will be many invitations to poetry gatherings and flower banquets.

Ke Shilan was mostly uninterested and only wanted to play a game of polo.

These days, because her parents are unwell, she hasn't gone out for a long time. Speaking of polo, she thinks of the boy who played against her last autumn and they were evenly matched, and her fingertips are itching to play.

I really want to have another good fight with him.

Suddenly, Wang Ruofu exclaimed "Oh dear!" as if she had just remembered something important. Two red clouds appeared on her face, and she hesitantly pulled out an exceptionally exquisite gold-flecked invitation from her sleeve and handed it to Shilan with both hands.

"Sister Shilan, my birthday banquet is on the sixth day of next month...." Her voice was filled with girlish shyness and anticipation, "You...you must come."

Shilan was slightly taken aback, then took the invitation and said with a sincere smile, "Okay, I will definitely come."

Although Wang Ruofu in front of her was shrewd and eloquent when it came to business, she always appeared as a naive and innocent young girl. Shilan forgot that she was actually only half a year younger than her, both being fifteen years old.

They should all be of marriageable age.

Shilan suddenly thought of something.

It seems that Sheng Hong passed the imperial examination with flying colors in this very year, and then his stepmother led him to the Wang family to propose marriage...

After marrying into the Sheng family, Wang Ruofu toiled her whole life, giving a great deal, but suffered endless grievances, ultimately becoming the most useless and despised child in the household.

A chill ran through her. Shilan asked, seemingly casually, "It seems there will be quite a few suitors coming to your house next year. Have you thought about what kind of family you want to marry into?"

Wang Ruofu was taken aback at first, then rested her chin on her hand and smiled adorably: "If it were in the past, I would definitely find a husband who is better than my eldest sister in every way, preferably a learned scholar like my father, so that they would all know how capable I am!"

She paused, then said, "But now, having learned so much from my sister, all I want is to find someone who shares my interests and knows how to make money! If they don't, at least don't stop me from making money. In short, family background, looks, talent—anything is fine, just one thing."

She held up her index finger, emphasizing seriously, "You absolutely mustn't be a burden to me when it comes to money!"

Shilan chuckled at her money-grubbing attitude, and her anxiety subsided considerably.

It's good that she has this awareness. If the Sheng family really dares to come and propose marriage, she can simply send someone to interfere.

Her most trusted accountant and wealth-gathering maiden must not be sent back to that fiery pit to suffer.

As the two chatted and laughed, they continued to look through the invitations. Suddenly, an invitation from the Sun family caught their eye; it was for the engagement banquet between Sun Baoqi and the eldest son of the Marquis of Zhongjing.

Shilan paused, her hand holding the invitation, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Sun Baoqi...

She tossed the invitation aside lightly and said calmly to Songzhi behind her, "I won't go to this one. I'll send a backup gift later, saying that my parents are unwell and unable to attend."

Shilan glanced at Wang Ruofu, who had a gossipy look on her face, but still had no intention of explaining. She only said, "Don't let my second brother know about this. In the future, I will definitely find you a good husband."

Wang Ruofu chuckled, quickly covered her mouth, and nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, sister, I'm very tight-lipped! I definitely won't let anything slip!"

He snatched the invitation away, vowing, "I'll take it home and burn it right now, I absolutely won't let Brother Qin know!"

Shilan personally escorted her to the courtyard gate, watching her walk away with her maid. In her heart, she thought, "My second brother will be taking the exam in two months. I must not cause any more trouble."

After the exams are over, it's time to put both her second brother's wedding and her own wedding on the agenda.

She had just turned around when, a second later, Wang Ruofu, who had walked away, bumped into someone at the corner of the corridor.

"Ouch!"

"Hmm!"

The two exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

Wang Ruofu rubbed her throbbing forehead and looked up to see Qin Zhengyang!

Having frequented the Marquis's residence for many years, she had naturally interacted with Qin Zhengyang and was quite familiar with him. She could even exchange a few jokes: "So it's Second Brother Qin. Why are you in such a hurry—"

The rest of the conversation ended abruptly.

She noticed that Qin Zhengyang's gaze was fixed on a spot on the ground.

She looked over and was immediately terrified, her pretty face turning pale—

It turned out that the invitation to the engagement banquet of the Sun family, which he had casually stuffed back into his sleeve, had slipped out lightly due to the bump and landed right at Qin Zhengyang's feet.

It even opened automatically.

The gilded words "engagement" stood out starkly against the bluestone floor.

Seeing Qin Zhengyang's face turn deathly pale, Wang Ruofu had only one thought in her mind:

Finished!

Good heavens!

My ideal husband is gone!